Data.Set and instance Read (Set a)

[Christian Maeder]

Otakar Smrz schrieb:
> The conflict arises when I define my own instance for reading a 
> non-polymorphic list, like in:
> 
> instance Read [SomeType] 

1.) This is not haskell98
2.) should not readList be defined rather than readsPrec?

  instance Read SomeType where
    readList ...


> Fortunately, I do not need the Data.Set library, and can prevent the 
> problem by an explicit empty import:
> 
> import Data.Set ()

Can't you omit the whole line (if sets are not involved)?

> However, a simple fix for it might be welcome by others as well:
> 
> instance (Read a, Read [a], Ord a) => Read (Set a) where ...

"Illegal Haskell 98 class constraint in instance declaration"

There is an instance:

 instance Read a => Read [a]

so the given "instance (Read a, Ord a) => Read (Set a)" would overlap.

(Per type only one instance can be used.)

I hope I did not completely missunderstood you

Christian